Financial scams in Upstate SC: Local police share what to look for and how to avoid them

What begins as a phone call from a loved one asking for money to help get them out of a sticky situation can often end with someone forking over hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, to a scammer on the other end of the line.

Law enforcement officials in Greenville and Spartanburg say scamming is an issue year-round, and cases are often hard to prosecute. But, prevention, rather than reaction after the fact, is the ideal answer.

Officers who talked to The Greenville News and Spartanburg Herald-Journal said that scammers often try to play on emotions and create a sense of urgency to force payment from the victim.

Here’s what scams law enforcement in the Upstate say to be on the lookout for and steps people can take to prevent falling victim to one.

'Spoofing,' 'the grandparent scam,' and gift cards: Law enforcement discuss common scams they see

While scams can come from someone close, Captain Tim Suber with the Spartanburg Police Department pointed out the difference in dishonesty between acquaintances and "target-based" scammers with a list of phone numbers they cold-call.

"Spoofing," or a fraudulent caller whose caller ID looks legitimate or familiar, can trick people about who is calling them, Suber said.

"You look down and it's your mother's number that is calling," Suber said. "You're answering thinking that’s your mother."

On the other end of a call from either a strange number or one that looks familiar can be someone trying to gather personal or financial information.

Master Deputy David Hanks, a white-collar crime investigator with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, calls one common grift "the grandparent scam" that mostly targets older generations.

In this case, a scammer calls pretending to be a "grandson," or some other familiar figure, but only vaguely identifies themselves. The caller says they are in trouble and need money to get out of whatever situation they are in.

It may be legal trouble, such as an arrest in a different state and a need for money to post bond. The story can sound different each time.

"There's so many of them," Hanks said. "Each one has a different twist that makes it so believable."

They will persuade the victim to buy gift cards, upload money to them and send pictures of the gift cards. Scammers favor this over other transaction methods because gift cards are nearly impossible to trace.

When pictures are sent that include the numbers and security codes, the money can be withdrawn by the scammer with no way to trace it back.

“Once that picture is taken of a gift card and sent, it is gone,” SPD spokesperson Major Art Littlejohn said. “We can't get it back. There's no way we can help that person get their money back.”

Another scheme occurs when an individual sends a victim a check, then asks them to cash it and send an amount back to them.

This gives the scammer access to the victim’s bank account.

Scammers will bait victims by allowing them to seemingly keep a portion of the money for their troubles. Suber said people can be blinded by “greed,” and urged extreme caution when dealing with personal and financial information.

Other kinds of scams occur seasonally

Although Hanks said most scams the sheriff’s office sees aren’t any more common around the holidays than other times of the year, certain specific scams can flare up seasonally.

Tax season brings the issue of fake W-2 forms, more closely related to identity theft. Hanks said the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) usually handles these cases, but he’s seen instances locally where a person files their taxes and receives notice that someone has already filed a fraudulent return in their name.

Other scams or instances of plain theft are bad links sent via text or email, use of Bitcoin to transfer funds under false pretenses and mailbox break-ins, which can result in what Hanks calls "old-school” check-washing, among other illegal activities.

Proximity to the holiday season can make people with “giving hearts” susceptible to financial solicitation, either over the phone or at a physical location like a parking lot, or donating to disreputable charities, Suber said.

Because of Greenville County’s proximity to Clemson University, Hanks said online ticket scams pop up in the months before football season. The allure of ticket prices “too good to be true” can get people to bite.

Hanks recalled one fake tickets case where he tracked down the perpetrator and extradited him from Mississippi back to South Carolina but said such successes are rare.

“The more they do it, the easier they are to catch because they leave more trails," Hanks said. "A one-event thing is sometimes a little hard."

With little information in most cases, scamming is hard to prosecute for local law enforcement

Public information officer Ryan Flood for the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that the crime statistics the agency uses do not track scamming-related crimes, making it difficult to quantify clearance rates.

However, law enforcement’s jurisdiction over the crime, as well as limited information about the perpetrators, may hinder investigations, both agencies said.

If someone is the victim of a scam, they can contact the agency that has jurisdiction over their home address. That agency can open an investigation, access bank records and then send their case file to the agency with jurisdiction over where the money was directed to, Hanks said.

Local agencies can reach out to federal partners, such as the FBI, to investigate, but the scams often have overseas origins.

Limited information on the perpetrators also hinders investigations. Hanks said people often have only an email address to provide law enforcement.

Many scams go unreported. Suber said the feeling of embarrassment can make people hesitant to report a scam, even when large sums of money are sent.

He said he has seen cases with sums as large as $50,000 to $70,000 being transferred.

"We hate it as law enforcement professionals because we know they were legitimately scammed," Suber said. "But they are very difficult (cases) to investigate."

Always double check! Officers give tips on preventative measures and staying vigilant

Given how difficult investigation and prosecution can be, law enforcement advises prevention when possible.

"If we can educate the people on what not to do, or what to do, we could cut down on some of the workload that we have," Hanks said. "I tell people, ‘I can't protect you from yourself, you know, you have to do your homework.’"

All the officers interviewed emphasized that anything involving gift cards is a major red flag.

"There’s no entity that’s legitimate that is going to ask you to pay in gift cards," Littlejohn said.

They added that real law enforcement will never contact someone about fines in the first place, let alone ask them to pay with gift cards.

"Law enforcement does not collect any kind of fines or penalties, or anything like that, that strictly goes to the court," Hanks said. "Most of the time, you have to do that in person. We will never ask you for money."

If authorities want to enforce payment or another legal issue that merits a charge, they will issue a warrant.

For a business or government entity, a person should hang up and call the number listed online to verify the caller.

People can do the same for a loved one. If ever in doubt, the individual should hang up and call them at their saved contact number or call another relative to ask about the person’s whereabouts.

Suber said if someone calls and asks for personal information, ask relevant questions to determine if they are who they say they are. Often, the scammer will have only general information and ask vague, probing questions to collect information.

Even automated messages with "yes” and “no” prompts may be collecting your recorded answers to authorize future payments over the phone. The Federal Communications Commission calls this the “Can You Hear Me?” scam.

Suber said that while the senior population can be particularly vulnerable, anyone can be a victim or be targeted by a scam.

Both agencies agreed that fear usually plays a large part when victims hastily transfer funds whether that’s fear of a loved one in trouble, fear of arrest or even fear of blackmail.

Officers said that scammers using fake social media or dating app profiles can take advantage of victims who communicate back. In this scenario, the person behind the fake profile may exchange explicit photos or messages with the victim and later use it as blackmail.

The “grandparent” scam – which can victimize anyone, not just grandparents – plays on the victim’s fear of a loved one supposedly in need of their help.

"What gets people in trouble is that (scammers) are so pushy, and (payment) has to happen right now," Littlejohn said.

Hanks agreed.

"The urgency to hurry up and do it, the threat of police and being arrested, that is a telltale sign," Hanks said.

These scams and others, like fake lottery winnings or fake jury duty, can be easily confirmed by calling publicly available numbers or using other available resources.

Resources for legitimate payments and fraudulent scams

• For information on different types of scams, the FCC keeps a “scam glossary.”

• To pay a traffic ticket in South Carolina, check the jurisdiction and status of the case through the state’s court payments page.

• The South Carolina Secretary of State keeps a list of suspended charities. The United Way of the Piedmont can also provide information on local non-profits or charities.

• The FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center has an online portal where one can submit a complaint.

• The SCDMV does not use email to alert citizens of changes in their driving or vehicle records. If you receive an email from an entity pretending to be the SCDMV, use their fraud hotline.

• To report identity theft and other forms of tax fraud, visit the IRS’s page.

• For information on fines or taxes that may be owed locally:

  • Greenville County: Payment portal and Treasurer’s Office - (864) 467-7210

  • Spartanburg County: Payment portal and Treasurer’s Office - (864) 596-2603

Chalmers Rogland covers public safety for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and USA Today Network. Reach him via email at crogland@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Financial scams in Upstate SC: What to look for and how to avoid them